Street-sweeper.



No. 669,5I2. Patented Mar. I2, IQDI. E.. S. DAY.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Application led Mayy 17. 1900.

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No. 669,512. @Patented Mar., |2 |90I.

E. S. DAY.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Application led ly'l. 1900.)

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No. 669,512. Patented Mar. l2, 190|. E. s. mw.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Apxlimion med may 1?. 1900.,

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(lo Modeln EDWARD S. DAY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 669,512, dated March 12, 1901. Application filed May 17, 1900l Serial No. 16,970. (No model.)

Vby the brooms.

The especial objects of this invention are to provide a simple, efficient, and inexpensive form of street-sweeper which may be used as a trailer or attachment for a cart, to which the same is so connected as to deliver the dirt or material swept up by the brooms into the cart, to drive the moving parts of the sweeper in a simple and direct manner, and to arrange the sweeping devices of the machine so that a considerable clearance may be obtained beneath the lower end of the conveyer.

To these ends this invention consists of a street-sweeping machine and of the combinations of parts therein, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying three sheets of drawings, Figure lis a plan view of a street-sweeping machine constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a side View thereof, partially broken away. Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view illustrating the relative arrangement of the sweeping-broom, the deliveringbroom, and the conveyer. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of a chain conveyer, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detailed view illustrating the construction of the pan which cooperates with the sweeping-broom.

In that class of street-sweeping machines which are intended to take up the dirt swept or gathered up by the brooms it has heretofore been found difcult to combine the sweeping-broom with an endless conveyer, for the reason that in order to permit an endless conveyer to directly coperate with a sweepingbroom the lower end of the conveyer has to be located at such a low level as to lea ve comparatively little or no clearance between the lower end of the conveyer and the surface of the street. To overcome this difficulty, I propose to provide a special arrangement of sweeping mechanism in which the sweepingbroom is combined with a discharge-brush which discharges the material swept up by the main sweeping-broom into the conveyerthat is to say, instead of attempting to combine the sweeping-broom directly with an endless conveyer I propose to combine therewith a discharge-brush, and in practice I have found that by adopting this construction I have been enabled to construct a sweeper in which the lower end of the conveyer may be arranged at some distance above the streetlevel, so as to secure the desired amount of clearance.

The parts of the sweeping mechanism of a street-sweeper constructed according to my invention are preferably adjustably mounted so that the brushes may be reset or adjusted as required to compensate for wear and may be set so that the surface of the sweeping-brush will be kept substantially in contact with the surface of the dischargebrush, so that the discharge-brush will act to clean the surface of the main or sweeping brush. The endless conveyer is inclosed within a suitable conveyer-casing, and pivoted to the lower end of the conveyer-casing is a pan or movable section arranged to cooperate with the sweeping-broom. At its rear edge this pan is preferably provided with a number of independent pivotally-mounted plates which may be moved independently of each other to compensate for unevenness in the surface of the road on which the sweeper is being used.

When the sweeper is not in use, its sweeping-broom and pan may be positively raised or lifted up away from the surface of the road, the lifting connections being preferably arranged so vas not to prevent the sweepingbrush or pan from being forced or moved up when passing over obstructions of unusual height.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and in detail, a street-sweeper herein illustrated comprises a rectangular frame l0, journaled in bearings on which is a rear axle 1l, carrying large rear wheels 12. Pivotally mounted beneath the forward end of the frame 10 is a front truck 13, journaled in which are IOO small front Wheels 14. The circle or bearing-piece of the front truck 13 is provided with a coupling-head 15 for receiving the perforated piece or link 16, which projects from the rear of the cart-body, as shown. The coupling-head 15 and link 16 are detachably -secured together by a coupling-pin in substantially the same manner that railway-cars are coupled. Fastened to the side bars of the frame 10 are the inclined side pieces 17, which are held in place by the braces 18 and 19. The inclined bars 17 carry or support a sheet-metal casing 20 for receiving an endless chain or conveyer. At its upper' end the conveyer-casing 20is provided with a slightlytapered spout or outlet 21, arranged so that the material swept up may be delivered to bags or other receptacles, if desired, instead of being permitted to fall into the cart-body, as shown. At its lower end the conveyercasing 20 is provided with a cross-bar 23, pivotally mounted, on which is a movable section or pan 22.

The rear edge of the pan 22, as illustrated on the enlarged scale in Fig. 5, is provided with a numberof independently-movable plates 24. The plates 24 may be reinforced at their bottom edges by a steel binding, as shown. The plates 24, as thus constructed and mounted, are independently movable to compensate for unevenness in the surface of the road on which the sweeper is being used. The pan 22 is supported by links 25, which may be raised or lifted by a handle 26, these connections being arranged so as not to interfere with the lifting or turning of the pan when passing over unusually high obstructions.

vTo support the brushes of the street-sweeper and arrange the same so that they may be adjusted as required, I preferably provide adjustable side pieces 27, which are adj ustably supported by links 28. Journaled in the bearings carried by the side pieces 27 is the discharge-broom 29. Pivotally connected to the side pieces 27 by means of turnbuckles 30 is a frame 31, journaled in which is a sweepingbroom 51. The frame 31 is adjustably supported by rods 32, which may be drawn up to lift or raise the broom 51 by means of handwheels 33, threaded thereon. The conveyer, which runs through the conveyer-casing 2O and cooperates with the dischargebroom,1nay be of any ordinary or preferred construction.

As herein illustrated, the inclined bars 17 support guide-rolls 34, which carry an endless conveyer, said endless conveyer preferably consisting of a number of layers of canvas or similar material 35 and 36, carrying the strips or plates 37, as most clearly illustrated in Fig. 4.

Any convenient arrangement of the driving-gearing may be employed for driving the sweeping mechanism and for actuating the endless conveyer. In practice I prefer to drive these 'parts from the rear axle of the' machine, and the driving mechanism herein illustrated comprises a driving-gear 38, secured on the rear axle, which meshes with an d drives a gear 39', secured on a cross-shaft 40. 'The cross-shaft 40 is provided near one end with a sprocket-wheel having a sprocketchain 41 mounted thereon for driving the sweeping-broom 5l, and at its opposite end the cross-shaft is provided with a sprocketwheel, running on which is a sprocket-chain 42,which drives the delivery-broom 29. The axle 1l is provided with a sprocket-Wheel, mounted on which is a sprocket-chain 43, which drives a sprocket-wheel 44 to turn the upper conveyer-roll 34.

In operating the street-sweeper as thus constructed the sweeper is coupled onto an empty cart, as shown, and the sweeping-brush and pan are lowered into an operative position. The dirt or material swept up by the sweeping-brush 51 Will be carried forward by the discharge-broom 29 and discharged into the conveyer spaces or buckets formed between the cross-bars 37 of the endless conveyer, the endless conveyer discharging the material into the cart or into bags or similar receptacles, if desired.

When the cart to which the sweeper is attached is suciently loaded, the streetsweeper may be uncoupled therefrom and coupled to another empty cart, so that by employing several carts in connection with the sweeper the sweeper may be kept in continuous operation.

To compensate for the wear of the brooms and to adjust the brooms with respect to each other, so that the discharge-broom may act as a cleaner for the sweeping-broom, the sweeping-broom may move laterally, if desired, by taking up. the turnbuckles 30, and the discharge-broom may be properly set or adjusted by means of its adjustable supports to coperate accurately with the conveyer, the especial advantage in this arrangement of sweeping mechanism residing in the fact that by employing this arrangement I am enabled to secure a considerable clearance between the surface of the street and the lower end of the conveyer.

I am aware that numerous changes in the construction of my street-sweeper may be made by those who are skilled in the art and IOO IIO

that certain features of my invention may be used in different situations Without departing from the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the construction herein shown and described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by `Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a street-sweeper, the combination of a conveyer, a sweeping-brush, a pan coperating therewith, a delivery-brush for delivering the material gathered by the sweepingbrush to the conveyer, and means for securinga lateral adjustment of one of said brushes so that said brushes may be kept substantially in contact with each other, whereby the delivery-brush wilhact as a cleaner for the sweeping-brush, substantially as described.

2. In a street-sweeper, the combination of a conveyer-casing, a conveyer mounted therein, a pan pivoted at thelower end of the conveyer-casing, a sweeping-brush coperating With the pan, a delivery-brush for delivering the material gathered bythe sweeping-brush to the conveyer, means for adjusting one of the brushes laterally to keep said brushes in contact, whereby the delivery-brush Will act as a cleaner for the sweeping-brush, and connections for raising the sweeping-brush and pan when the machine is not in operation, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a main frame, an inclined frame secured thereto, a conveyer-cas ing carried by the inclined frame, a conveyer mounted in the ccnVeyer-casing, a pan pivotally connected to the conVeyer-casing, a dezo EDWARD S. DAY.

Witnesses:

PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE, JOHN F. CROWELL. 

